Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Risk factors for anesthesia death in dogs at Japanese hospitals
By Itami, Takaharu et al.·Published in Veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia·2017·Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Association between preoperative characteristics and risk of anaesthesia-related death in dogs in small-animal referral hospitals in Japan.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at 4,323 dogs that underwent anesthesia in referral hospitals in Japan to find out what factors might increase the risk of death related to anesthesia. They found that 0.65% of the dogs died within 48 hours after surgery, and most of these deaths occurred in dogs with pre-existing health issues. Key risk factors included low blood sugar levels, disturbances in consciousness, high white blood cell counts, and certain anesthesia grades. The researchers suggest that addressing these health concerns before anesthesia could help reduce the risk of complications and improve outcomes for dogs undergoing surgery.
People also search for: dog anesthesia risks · low blood sugar in dogs · preoperative care for dogs · dog surgery complications · anesthesia-related death in dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To explore the major risk factors linking preoperative characteristics and anaesthesia-related death in dogs in referral hospitals in Japan. STUDY DESIGN: Observational cohort study. ANIMALS: From April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2011, 4323 dogs anaesthetized in 18 referral hospitals in Japan. METHODS: Questionnaire forms were collated anonymously. Death occurring within 48 hours after extubation was considered as an anaesthesia-related death. Patient outcome (alive or dead) was set as the outcome variable. Preoperative general physical characteristics, complete blood cell counts, serum biochemical examinations and intraoperative complications were set as explanatory variables. The risk factors for anaesthesia-related death were evaluated using chi-square test or Fisher's exact test, followed by multivariable logistic regression analysis of the data. Significance was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: Thirteen dogs that died from surgical error or euthanasia were excluded from statistical analysis. The total mortality rate in this study was 0.65% [28/4310 dogs; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.41-0.89]. Furthermore, 75% (95% CI, 55.1-89.3) of anaesthesia-related deaths occurred in dogs with pre-existing diseases. Most of the deaths occurred postoperatively (23/28; 82.1%; 95% CI, 63.1-93.9). Preoperative serum glucose concentration <77 mg dL(6/46; 13.0%; 95% CI, 4.9-26.3), disturbance of consciousness (6/50; 12.0%; 95% CI, 4.5-24.3), white cell count >15,200 μL(16/499; 3.4%; 95% CI, 1.9-5.5) and American Society of Anesthesiologists grade III-V (19/1092; 1.7%; 95% CI, 1.1-2.7) were identified as risk factors for anaesthesia-related death. Intraoperative hypoxaemia (8/34; 23.5%; 95% CI, 10.7-41.2) and tachycardia (4/148; 2.7%; 95% CI, 0.7-6.8) were also risk factors for anaesthesia-related death. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The results revealed that certain preoperative characteristics were associated with increased odds of anaesthesia-related death, specifically low serum glucose concentration and disturbances of consciousness. Greater attention to correcting preanaesthetic patient abnormalities may reduce the risk of anaesthesia-related death.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28579007/